Human Rights
Goals for Respecting Human Rights
Meiji Group 2026 Medium-Term Management Plan
- Data target range or company leading initiatives
- 1: Domestic consolidated subsidaries and 1 affiliate
- 2: 23 overseas subsidaries
- 3: Meiji Holdings Co., Ltd.
| Major initiatives | Metrics | Results / progress | Targets | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FYE March 2025 | FYE March 2027 | |||
| 1 | Conduct employee education on business and human rights | Implementation rate for human rights education for all domestic group employees | Participation rate: 94.7% | Participation rate or 90% or more |
| 2 | Implementation rate for human rights education for overseas Group companies (23 companies) | 34.8% (8 companies) |
Once or more | |
| 3 | Strengthen human rights due diligence overseas | Number of overseas high-risk countries for which human rights impact assessments have been conducted | 0 | 3 countries |
Human Rights Policy
Meiji Group’s Basic Approaches to Human Rights
Our Corporate Behavior Charter and Code of Conduct includes respect for human rights. We recognize that all people are born free and with equal dignity and rights. We act fairly and faithfully to uphold this Policy on Human Rights in all our business activities. We engage in the greater pursuit of initiatives related to human rights, striving to accomplish our duties in this respect.
Meiji Group Human Rights Policy
Based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the Meiji Group supports and respects international standards on human rights, such as the International Bill on Human Rights, ILO's core labour standards, and OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
In the pharmaceutical business, we will respect the ethical principles of the Helsinki Declaration and the guidelines of the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceutical for Human Use (ICH).
Policy on Specific Issues (Children's Rights Policy)
The Meiji Group recognizes that identifying and addressing business-related human rights risks concerning children's rights is an important issue. In particular, with regard to children's rights, which are closely linked to our food business, we respect the Children’s Rights and Business Principles. In 2020, we established the Meiji Group Marketing Communication to Children Policy, which outlines our considerations for children in marketing related to confectionery and ice cream.
As respect for children's rights is becoming even more important globally, we are reassessing risks related to children's rights across the value chain and considering a review of the Meiji Group Marketing Communication to Children Policy.
Human Rights Management System
In the Meiji Group, the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) is tasked by the President of Meiji Holdings to be responsible for and execute measures related to human rights. Under the supervision of the CSO, Meiji Holdings' Sustainability Management Department leads execution of each of these measures as the main organization responsible for sustainability.
The Meiji Holdings Executive Committee has assembled the Group Sustainability Committee, with the aim of unifying all of Meiji Group's various sustainability-related activities, including those concerning human rights. In July 2019, we established the Group Human Rights Meeting, whose members consist of relevant departments and outside experts, and initiated human rights due diligence activities. Meiji Holdings' Sustainability Management Department, the main department responsible for sustainability, serves as the Meeting's secretariat. The Group Human Rights Meeting has in turn set up sub-committees, each with its own individual area of responsibility. As well as this, they are investigating human rights-related issues, creating action plans for various initiatives, and taking necessary preventive measures. The Board of Directors at Meiji Holdings receives regular reports on these activities and supervises the effectiveness of activity processes and measures.
In addition, the Meiji Group has appointed Meiji Brand Promotion Officer and Meiji Brand Promotion Leader at each workplace to spread knowledge and understanding of brand promotion and sustainability. Approximately 800 Meiji Brand Promotion Leaders promote awareness of sustainability issues, including human rights, in their respective workplaces.
Approximately 270 Meiji Brand Promotion Officers supervise Meiji Brand Promotion Leaders.
Meiji Holdings Sustainability Management Department regularly holds online forums and seminars for Meiji Brand Promotion Officers and Leaders to enhance understanding of sustainability activities, including human rights.
Human Rights Due Diligence
Implementing Human Rights Due Diligence
We started human rights due diligence in FY2019 and it forms our commitment to human rights based on the Meiji Group Human Rights Policy. We make constant efforts to communicate with external stakeholders by: assessing the impact on human rights caused by the Meiji Group’s corporate activities and identifying issues; incorporating these evaluation results into procedures and implementing them for meaningful improvements; follow-up evaluations to review effectiveness; and timely and appropriate information disclosure. By continuous improvement through these processes, we will achieve both respect for human rights and sustainable growth of businesses.
Roadmap for Human Rights Respect Initiatives
Identifying Salient Human Rights Risks
Based on the Meiji Group Human Rights Policy, in 2022, we reviewed the salient human rights issues identified in 2019, incorporating the results of interviews with relevant internal departments and objective outside perspectives.
Step for Identifying Salient Human Rights Risks
- Identified human rights risks throughout the value chain in each of the food and pharmaceutical business domains.
- Scored the identified human rights risks by the severity of potential human rights impacts and the likelihood of those impacts occurring, and visualized the level of risk.
- Identified salient human rights risks requiring a high priority action.
Identified salient human rights issues
| Salient human rights issues | Potentially affected stakeholders |
|---|---|
| Discrimination and harassment | Employees, suppliers, customers, community residents, etc. |
| Gender equality | Employees, suppliers, customers, community residents, etc. |
| Child labor | Employees of the company and its suppliers |
| Forced labor and human trafficking | Employees of the company and its suppliers |
| Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining | Employees of the company and its suppliers |
| Fair working conditions and wages | Employees of the company and its suppliers |
| Occupational health and safety | Employees of the company and its suppliers |
| Working hours | Employees of the company and its suppliers |
| Rights of foreign workers (migrant workers) | Employees of the company and its suppliers |
| Healthy lifestyle for local residents, access to water | community residents |
| Impact of advertising and marketing on children | Customers and consumers |
| Customer and user health | Customers and consumers |
| Access to information | Donors of human-derived raw materials |
| Privacy rights | Employees, clinical trial subjects, customers, etc. |
Initiatives for risk assessment, mitigation, and remedy
The main initiatives implemented in FY2024 to mitigate and remediate human rights risks are as follows.
Cocoa farmers
At cocoa production sites, climate change, aging trees, pests and disease, difficulty obtaining agricultural inputs, and insufficient dissemination of cultivation techniques are reducing yields and preventing farmers from earning enough income. In some countries and regions, social issues such as child labor and deforestation also persist. We recognize that it is Meiji’s mission to improve this situation, make the production of cocoa bean production stable, as cocoa beans are one of the main ingredients in Meiji Group products, and ensure a stable supply of delicious chocolate.
In 2006, we launched Meiji Cocoa Support (MCS)*, Meiji's original cocoa farmer support program. As one of the MCS initiatives, we are working to eliminate child labor and have introduced the Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation Systems (CLMRS) in the Republic of Ghana, one of the countries from which we procure cocoa beans. From October 2024 to September 2025, the number of farms covered by CLMRS reached 14,964.
We are working toward a target of 100% procurement of Meiji Sustainable Cocoa Beans by FY2026, referring to cocoa beans produced in areas where farmer support is provided through MCS. In May 2025, we also launched the School Forest Garden Project. Working with local partners, we grow crops in fields created in school backyards in cocoa sourcing regions and serve them with school meals. The project aims to improve children's nutrition and help prevent child labor by encouraging school attendance and increasing the time children spend at school.
- 2025 Achievement of Meiji Cocoa Support Program
- Sustainable Sourcing
- THE FUTURE OF CHOCOLATES BEGINS HERE.
Dairy farmers
Raw milk, one of the main ingredients in Meiji Group products, plays a major role in society by supplying nutrition and creating employment in dairy farming, but it also comes with social issues that must be addressed. In particular, as Japan's population declines and ages, the dairy industry needs more diverse talent than ever to achieve sustainable growth, and alongside Japanese workers, foreign workers are also becoming active in a broader range of roles. Creating an environment where foreign workers can overcome language and cultural barriers and work with energy is a challenge, but we believe doing so will also make the dairy industry as a whole more attractive.
Together with dairy farmers, the Meiji Group is working to create workplaces where all staff, Japanese and foreign alike, can work with peace of mind, and to help make dairy farming an industry chosen by diverse talent.
| FY2023 | We conducted a survey of the employment conditions of foreign workers at 37 dairy farms across Japan that have a relationship with the Meiji Group. To get an accurate understanding of human rights risks regarding points that could not be clarified by the survey results alone, we visited dairy farming sites (four dairy farms in Hokkaido and Kyushu), interviewed the dairy farmers who employ foreign workers, and confirmed the actual conditions. No significant risks were identified. |
|---|---|
| FY2024 |
To gain a more detailed understanding of actual conditions in the survey of the employment conditions of foreign workers conducted in 2023, we improved the survey questions*, incorporating the perspectives of outside experts.
|
Foreign Workers (Migrant Workers) at Group Companies in Japan
Initiatives to Reduce Human Rights Risks for Foreign Workers (Migrant Workers)
As the importance of employing migrant workers continues to grow globally, we recognize this as one of our salient human rights issues, given that migrant workers are vulnerable to the risk of forced labor due to social and structural factors.
In June 2022, incorporating input from outside experts, we established the Meiji Group Guidelines for the Employment of Foreign Workers. These guidelines set out the common minimum rules to be followed in the employment and labor management of foreign workers. We are working to ensure thorough implementation of and awareness of these guidelines among relevant parties within our domestic group and our business partners.
<Items to be included in the guidelines for the employment of foreign workers>
1. Matters to be confirmed concerning foreign workers
2. Points to be noted when applying from foreign workers
3. Use of brokers
4. Intermediary fees and other related expenses
5. Working regulations
6. Working conditions and employment contracts
7. Prohibition of forced labor
8. Wages and working hours
9. Provision of housing such as dormitories
10. Consultation Desk and Complaint Processing System, Section
11. Occupational Health and Safety
12. Medical checkups
13. Training
14. Assistance for termination of contract, dismissal, and re-employment
15. Communicating with cooperating companies and dispatching companies
Based on the Meiji Group Guidelines for the Employment of Foreign Workers, since October 2022 we have conducted an annual written survey, the Survey on the Working Conditions of Foreign Workers, to check the employment status of foreign workers at domestic group companies, review the management of their employment and labor, and identify any human rights risks. Based on the survey results, we conduct on-site visits and interviews at workplaces requiring more detailed review, and where necessary, implement improvement measures through the PDCA cycle.
Continuous improvement process for identifying and improving human rights risks in relation to foreign workers
In FY2024, we held briefing sessions targeting on-site managers at each of our operating sites to report the results of the Survey on the Working Conditions of Foreign Workers.
<Briefing session agenda>
- - Global human rights (importance of respecting the human rights of foreign workers)
- - Employment trends for foreign workers and the establishment of training and working systems
- - Meiji Group initiatives for human rights (foreign workers)
- - Report on the Foreign Workers Employment Survey
- - Sharing of good practices of employing foreign workers at Group companies (production sites)
In addition, based on the results of the Survey on the Working Conditions of Foreign Workers, we visited three operating sites to ascertain the current situation at domestic production sites. In addition to conducting on-site checks of the working environments of foreign workers, we confirmed the presence or absence of human rights risks through interviews with the foreign workers and exchanges of views with on-site managers. As a result, it was confirmed that operations are generally being conducted in accordance with the Meiji Group Guidelines for Employment of Foreign Workers, and no significant risks were identified.
At the same time, in order to create working environments where foreign workers can work with a greater sense of security, we exchanged views on initiatives undertaken by each company and shared good practices, including communication with foreign workers and safety considerations, with a view to broader rollout.
In addition, regarding recruitment-related fees borne by foreign workers in their home countries, we will continue to further assess actual conditions and have clarified the Meiji Group’s position on recruitment-related fees.
| Implementation period | Interview locations |
|---|---|
| FY2022 to FY2024 | Meiji Co., Ltd. plants and Meiji Co., Ltd. group companies |
| Implementation period | Interview locations | Interviewees | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2022 | Six Meiji Co., Ltd. plants and their business partners | Labor manager, on-site managers | Online |
| FY2023 | Seven Meiji Co., Ltd. plants and their business partners | Labor manager, on-site managers | Online, on-site visits |
| FY2024 | Three Meiji Co., Ltd. plants and their business partners | Labor manager, on-site managers, business partners (Six technical intern trainees) | On-site visits |
Our Approach to Recruitment-Related Fees for Foreign Workers
The Meiji Group*1 will bear the recruitment-related fees necessary for the employment of foreign workers*2 it hires, based on the Meiji Group Policy on Human Rights, the Meiji Group Guidelines for Employment of Foreign Workers, the Dhaka Principles, and international standards such as those of the International Labour Organization (ILO). We will also encourage business partners that the Meiji Group in Japan does business with to take the same approach.*3
In addition, we require brokers and organizations*4 involved in the employment of foreign workers by the Meiji Group not to collect recruitment-related fees. If such fees have been collected, we will require that they be refunded to the workers and that measures be taken to prevent recurrence.
Employees at Overseas Sites
In FY2024, we evaluated overseas high-risk countries where the Meiji Group conducts businesses, and in FY2025 selected three sites for human rights impact assessments to be conducted by FY2026.
<Sites selected for human rights impact assessments to be conducted by FY2026>
- - PT MEIJI FOOD INDONESIA
- - Thai Meiji Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
- - Meiji Seika (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
| FY2024 | For countries where the Meiji Group operates overseas businesses, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR)* conducted country-by-country human rights risk assessments. |
|---|---|
| FY2025 | Based on BSR's assessment results, for countries with high potential human rights risks, we compared the level of human rights risk at each site* and selected the sites where human rights impact assessments would be conducted. |
Of the three sites selected for human rights impact assessments to be conducted by FY2026, in FY2025 we carried out a human rights impact assessment at PT MEIJI FOOD INDONESIA, located in Indonesia.
<Purpose>
To confirm whether any human rights violations were affecting employees working at PT MEIJI FOOD INDONESIA.
<Process leading up to the assessment>
To conduct the human rights impact assessment, employees to be interviewed on site were selected through the following steps.
- STEP1：Employee attributes were reviewed for all employees, including non-regular employees, and employees in vulnerable positions were identified, such as non-managerial employees, female employees, employees in production divisions, non-regular employees, and magang (internships).
- STEP2：A questionnaire was administered to the employees selected in STEP 1 to identify and understand potential risks in advance.
- STEP3：Based on the questionnaire results from STEP 2, regular employees (female) and temporary workers were selected for interviews. Matters requiring more detailed confirmation based on the questionnaire results were also reflected in the interviews.
Both the questionnaire and the interviews were conducted by Caux Round Table Japan (CRT), acting as an independent third party and human rights expert, based on the Dhaka Principles for Migration with Dignity.
<Assessment method>
Over two days, October 7 and 8, 2025, we visited PT MEIJI FOOD INDONESIA and held direct dialogues with the interviewees. To ensure objectivity and neutrality, no Meiji personnel attended the employee interviews, which were conducted solely by CRT.
Interviews were also conducted with management personnel to understand the situation and exchange views, focusing primarily on the working environment of employees.
| Interviewees | Method |
|---|---|
| Regular employees (female): 15 Temporary workers: 25 |
Group interviews (Conducted in groups of five people) |
| Regular employees: 4 | Open Hours in an individual face-to-face format* |
| Management representative (President, Director, Head of HR): 3 |
Face-to-face interviews |
Group interviews
<Results>
- - No salient human rights violations were identified.
- - Many employees had long years of service, and communication with the company was relatively good.
- - By far the most common view was that the company was close-knit and that pay was good.
- - At the same time, issues were identified regarding the frequency of occupational health and safety training, requests concerning switching protective equipment in noisy environments, and suspected harassment.
<Next steps>
In response to these results, PT MEIJI FOOD INDONESIA will consider and address the following:
- - Occupational health and safety training had been provided to regular employees at fixed intervals in accordance with the law, but the company will consider expanding eligibility beyond regular employees.
- - It will consider distributing a different type of protective equipment (earplug-type) for noisy environments.
- - With regard to suspected harassment, a compliance meeting will be held, and at that meeting top management will directly inform all employees that they should use the reporting system if harassment occurs.
Supplier Management
Under the Meiji Group Procurement Policy, the Meiji Group is committed to procurement activities that take human rights and the global environment into consideration, and works with suppliers to achieve responsible procurement while striving to implement measures to prevent and mitigate associated risks.
We conduct the Sustainable Procurement Survey for suppliers, and based on the results, we exchange opinions about human rights and labor with suppliers where human rights risks are a concern and confirm the details of their initiatives. Although no material human rights risks were found, we have requested ongoing efforts to reduce human rights risks.
Grievance Mechanism
Establishing Access to Remedy
In line with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the Meiji Group has established access to remedy mechanisms to receive and address stakeholder concerns and respond appropriately in the event that its business activities cause adverse impacts on human rights.
Whistleblowing System
The Meiji Group has established an internal whistleblowing system for officers, employees, and others in order to prevent and promptly detect violations of laws and regulations, the Corporate Behavior Charter, or the Meiji Group Code of Conduct, and to enhance its capacity for self-correction. In addition to internal contact points, we have also established contact points independent from management, including those provided by external lawyers. At overseas group companies, local contact points have been set up so that local officers and employees can report or seek advice in the languages they use, and a contact point in Japan is also available to receive reports.
For details, please refer to the compliance page.
Multilingual consultation and remedy service for foreign workers
In June 2023, the Meiji Group introduced JP-MIRAI (Japan Platform for Migrant Workers towards Responsible and Inclusive Society), a multilingual consultation service that foreign workers can use.
In May 2025, this service was transitioned to the Global Alliance for Sustainable Supply Chain (ASSC), and as the Meiji Group Consultation Service for Foreigners (AWV), it provides remedy support in five languages (Japanese, English, Portuguese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog).
Specifically, the service handles all kinds of consultations related to work, health, and daily life so that foreign workers unfamiliar with life in Japan can work and live with peace of mind. If workplace issues arise, foreign workers can also receive support from professional staff as needed until the problem is resolved. All information received is strictly managed to ensure anonymity and confidentiality, thereby protecting the person seeking consultation. Retaliation is prohibited, and no disadvantageous treatment is permitted.
To establish this service as a consultation resource that foreign workers employed by the Meiji Group and its business partners in Japan can access at any time, from FY2025 the Group has been promoting awareness by distributing business card-sized pocket cards to each foreign worker and asking that posters be displayed at plants and workplaces.
Business card-sized pocket card
Poster
Awareness-Raising Activities and Response to Legal Regulations
Group Employee Training
We engage in education and training activities related to respect for human rights and prohibition of discrimination, prohibition of forced and child labor, prohibition of harassment, safe and healthy workplaces, respect for fundamental rights of employees, and more, based on the Meiji Group Policy on Human Rights.
Education on Business and Human Rights
In FY2024, we provided education on Business and Human Rights to all employees in Japan and to employees in the United States, Thailand, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Australia through e-learning and group training sessions. As part of the training, employees learned through concrete examples that had actually occurred at other companies about human rights issues related to the Meiji Group’s business and workplace environment, deepening their understanding of these issues as personally relevant and helping to raise awareness of human rights and reduce risks.
Education on harassment
We conduct e-learning on harassment, which is one of the human rights issues in the workplace, for all employees. We explain the diversifying examples of modern harassment and the policy on harassment in our group to raise employee awareness of harassment. For managers, in addition to providing education through specific examples, we also provide education on how to respond to harassment consultations, and promote initiatives to prevent harassment.
Training for Hiring Personnel
In Japan, we provide training on fair recruitment and selection to hiring personnel at our offices nationwide, and ensure compliance with prohibitions on discrimination in employment and harassment, and with respect for the fundamental human rights of applicants. In addition to respecting people's ability to work of their own free will, we also strive to prevent forced labor through clear advance presentation of working conditions (including work content, hours, rest periods, vacations, holidays, wages, salary increases, and provisions on retirement, etc.) and conclude of employment contracts. We also take action to ensure that all employees meet statutory minimum age requirements at the time of hiring in order to prevent child labor.
Responding to Human Rights Related Laws and Regulations in Each Country and Region
In expanding our business globally, Meiji Group will comply with the laws and regulations regarding the working environment and human rights established in each country, and will act in good faith in all business activities.
-
UK Modern Slavery Act 2015
- Meiji Group Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement
-
Australian Modern Slavery Act 2018
- Modern Slavery Act Statement
-
California Transparency in Supply Chain Act
- California Transparency in Supply Chains Act Statement